Gambia’s apex bank expunges ex-leader’s face from the currency

Gambia’s apex bank has on Thursday revealed pictures of the country’s new family banknotes with pictures of various bird species in the country and historical sites.

The new banknotes were revealed to journalists at the complex of the Central Bank in Banjul after the apex bank’s quarterly briefing with the media.

The new banknotes that are expected to be in circulation in 3 months’ time, according to the governor Bakary Jammeh, will be D5, D10, D20, D50, D100 and D200 banknotes.

The D25 note is not included among the family banknotes. The new banknotes will effectively remove the face of the former dictator Yahya Jammeh from the currency.

The new currency note does not have anyone’s face on it. In the history of The Gambia, the country has only the face of its first president Dawda Kairaba Jawara on it and Yahya Jammeh, second president on the currency.

Governor said they have carefully chosen features for the currency note that are representative of the Gambia.

“That is why we say “our new banknote family: beautifully Gambian”,” said Jammeh.

The Central Bank’s Monetary Policy Meeting is the bank’s only engagement with the media which comes quarterly.

The Governor of the Bank, Jammeh, said the growth outlook of the country is very favourable.